Week 3 Case Study Olivia Hall Chamberlain University HIST405N-11578 Aimee James January 29, 2023 Week 3 Case Study The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed into law on is a historical event in U.S. history that many know but are not aware of the extreme circumstances that lead to it. President Andrew Jackson held contempt for the Indians and wanted them removed. While some tribes moved peacefully, some did not, and they were known as The Five Civilized Tribes. Jackson then used military force to remove the tribes, and this is what then lead to what we now know as The Trail of Tears. This was unconstitutional and thousands of lives were lost due to Jackson’s greed and hatred of one ethnic group. In President Jackson’s message to Congress, he wrote of wanting to remove the Indian’s from their land for the purpose of increasing the land of the Whites. He wrote this letter as if he was doing the Native’s a favor in paying for them to move and giving them land to live on. It was as if the Indian’s were given the opportunity of a lifetime, and they should take this opportunity for their own good. President Jackson wrote: Can it be cruel in this Government …show more content…
The Five Civilized Tribes had tried to fight the Indian Removal Act, in what is known as Cherokee Nation v. Georgia. In 1831, the Supreme Court ruled against the Cherokee Indians and ruled that they did not meet criteria for being a foreign nation. (Corbett et al., 2014) After the supreme court case of Worcester v. Georgia, some Indians decided to move west willingly. However, some did not, and Jackson decided that forcing them to move would be his only option, and this was known as the Trail of Tears. As many as four thousand Cherokee Indians died on this treacherous journey, and yet Jackson remained silent. He instead seen this as a victory for the White